


Perfect Harmony

by childishillusions



Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-09
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-14 10:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/836109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childishillusions/pseuds/childishillusions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo finds himself drawn to a group of street urchins on one of his master's colonies, and plays with them for a little while</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect Harmony

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crexendo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crexendo/gifts).



> This should be the last one of my songfics in this series. I'm fairly certain I released them in chronological order.

Aizen-sama was touring his colonies, specifically the ones on the outer edge of Tengoku’s territory. It had been a little over a month and a half since Yukinos, and the brunette had decided to oversee the further away parts of his domain. He had, of course, brought along Ichigo, as the brunette seemed determined to have as many people as possible see the Pet, now that the Berry seemed to be fully submissive and willing to do whatever his master wished him to do, whenever the lord wished him to.

Or at least, that was the impression that Ichigo had gotten from this. Perhaps the man was motivated by more reasons than that. What they were, the orangette couldn’t fathom, and a part of him believed that the elder male enjoyed watching him slowly break, as he suffered like this. He _hated_ all of the stares and soft whispers, the appraising looks and the comments that would be, if the young man was able to be considered _human_ as sexual harassment, as Ichigo would have been able, if he would have been there at all, to soundly tell the commenters that he wasn’t interested, thank you very much, and if they tried almost touching him one more time, someone was going to be walking around with broken arms.

As it was, all Ichigo was aware of that he could do was to dodge the gropers (mostly by hiding behind a seemingly clueless Aizen-sama. The elder was busy talking to important people, and asserting his authority over the colony in question to pay much attention to his Pet). But hiding behind the elder male caused issues as well…. Mainly the fact that several of the older people, along with a worrying section of the females who were observing this behavior, seemed to think it _cute_ that their lord’s shy Pet sought out his master for solace in such a strange place… While that might have been true for about the first couple of hours, Ichigo was hiding from him, mostly to avoid getting groped or leered at, as none of the nobles or anyone else would try to when he was so close to the very powerful brunette.

They, or rather Aizen-sama and his Pet were being shown a group of elegantly created and decorated buildings. Ichigo, terribly bored by the history lesson, wandered away a bit from the group, and spotted something… Or rather a group of someones that had his heart clenching painfully. It was a small knot of ragged clothed, dirty-faced children. There were, at least visibly, about five or six of them, and the oldest had to be no older that about eleven. It was getting on towards dusk, and it was clear to Ichigo, that the little ones were exhausted and possibly hungry/thirsty.

At first, when he spoke to them, they froze and watched him with a large amount of suspicion and wariness, but once the compassionate young man came back with enough food and water containers to last them for a good week or so (the containers would last longer, but would need to be refilled. The container would automatically purify the water or drink put into it, rending any illnesses inert) and set it down near them, before backing away far enough so that the little ones could grab it without having to get too near him, the children gradually began to relax.

The Berry sat down close to them, but about five feet away, so as to appear less threatening. It was one of the littlest ones, at about no more than three or four, who toddled up to him, her violet eyes large and solemn. She thanked him for the food and water he had given her and her friends, and flopped unceremoniously into his lap, a happy smile on her face. The rest of the group tensed, but all the Pet did was chuckle a little and Pet her knotted and tangled hair. He spoke to her, and the group in low, soothing tones about anything that came to his mind that would be appropriate for them to hear.

It didn’t take more than about a half an hour for the rest of the group to be either sitting next to him, or leaning/laying on part of the Berry. They invited him over to where they lived, a rather cleverly disguised group of makeshift shelters that Ichigo pretended not to see until the children pointed them out to him. If he had been born and bred in the city, or in high society, Ichigo was fairly certain that he wouldn’t have spotted them. But as he had grown up in a similar situation, he could tell where they would sleep, and why they had chosen where and what materials to make their shelters out of.

They all settled down and blinked up at him, one of the older ones asking shyly if Ichigo would tell them a story, or sing them a song as they fell asleep, as he remembered his papa singing him to sleep. The Pet’s heart melted into a pile of pained goo, and the orangette nodded, remembering a song that his mother used to sing to him. Perhaps it would comfort them, as it had Ichigo when he was little.

_“In a world so far away_   
_At the end of a closing day_   
_A little child was born and raised_   
_Deep in the forest on a hidden place_   
_Mother never saw his face”_

That verse had initially saddened the much younger Ichigo…. Wouldn’t it be horrible not to have known one’s parents? Because he had known that his mama and papa were both awesome and took care of him and his big brothers as best as they could. As the orangette had aged, he had known that it was simply something that happened in life, and the child in the song was exceptionally lucky, at least as far as Ichigo had seen. Besides not all of the adults in Karakura should have had kids, and those who did were not always kind to their offspring.

_“Ancient spirits of the forest_   
_Made him king of elves and trees_   
_He was the only human being_   
_Who lived in harmony_   
_In perfect harmony”_

It was a pretty fantasy, Ichigo reflected. Whisked away from all the darkness and ugliness of human society, and taken, as a baby by ancient and powerful magical spirits, who surrendered to him their sovereignty… And in return one was just and kind and did not warp what was given to them. Other beings to interact with and the beauty of a forest to reflect and see every day. And not the often times harsh and unforgiving jungles of Tengoku, but a forest, the entire forest whom loved and adored the child it had taken.

  
_“The woods protected, fulfilled his needs  
Fruit by birds, honey by bees_

_He found shelter under trees_   
_He grew up in their company_   
_They became his family”_

The child was protected and loved… and in return loved deeply as well. It was a small lesson to learn. To care for those who cared for you, and to find those who loved you, and love them as best as you could back. It was another idyllic verse. If only the real world were so simple and lovely. If only those who were loved could see the love that others held for them.

But Ichigo knew that it almost always did not work out that way, and those who were most beloved, were often the cruelest to those who loved them. Either unintentionally, or simply to see them break and shatter, all while deeply longing for a slight gesture of affection… For a shred of attention…

_“A thousand seasons_   
_They passed him by_   
_So many times, have said goodbye_   
_And when the spirits called out his name_   
_To join forever, forever to stay_   
_A forest spirit he became”_

Ichigo had tears in his eyes, and his throat was closing up in the manner in which it did when a sob was threatening to escape him. But he would not break down, not in front of these sweet, and still fairly innocent children. One of the little girls reminded the Pet of his younger sister, Yuzu. The way her face was shaped, as well as the gentle sweetness that seemed to radiate quietly from within the small child. It had been a blessing and a curse to see his beloved family. On one hand, Ichigo had been beyond happy to find that all four of his siblings had found happiness and relative security. On the other hand, being shorn away from them after a mere month of togetherness (and even then fleeting moments, ten minutes here, or an hour there. Once Ichigo had intentionally gotten lost and managed to spend three whole hours with Karin and Tensa. It was bliss up until Suigetsu-sama had shown up and _kindly_ guided him back to his master) had been a quiet agony.

Perhaps his master had sensed some sort of pain within his Pet, which was why he was even here in the first place. At least part of his reasons why, so he did not come home to a pool of blood and a waiting call that Ichigo had been found in said pool of blood, and was nearly dead. Again. After all, it wouldn’t’ do his reputation any good, especially since the upper echelons of galactic society had found out that Ichigo was the younger brother, of not only Hichigo _Shiro_ saki, but the Black Sun as well. (Ichigo had, for one terrifying moment, believed that Aizen-sama had also found out about his little sisters, but as of yet, Yuzu and Karin were still enjoying relative anonymity. There was a contentious race for the two of theirs’ formidable talents, when they graduated. Tensa-nii and Hichi-nii were researching who all was interested, and determined to find the best fit for the three males’ beloved younger sisters).

The young street urchins were all, almost asleep, when one of them asked softly “Are you an angel?”

“No sweetie, I’m not. Why would you ask?” Ichigo responded, startled by the question.

“B’cause you fed us an’ gave us water an’ sang to us for nothing. So you canna be human. ‘cause everyone does something for a reason. On’y angels do stuff like this because they’re nice.” Another responded, nearly asleep, but speaking for the group who waited with bated breaths.

“I…I am human, little ones. I just know what it is like to be small and hungry and so very tired of having to fight and struggle all of the time.” The berry responded softly, still petting the little ones’ tangled hair. He was content and peaceful in a way that he hadn’t been in a long time. Yukinos hadn’t counted as there was the semi-constant fear of discovery and fresh horrors of what would happen to his siblings.


End file.
